Controlling sediment

ABSTRACT

Sediment control devices include a planar apertured threshold member, a planar apertured outflow member, and a planar filter member between the threshold and outflow members. The members lie in parallel planes, and there is substantially no hollow space between the threshold member and the outflow member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11/988,335, which is an application under 35 USC 371 based on PCT/US 06/26076, filed Jul. 3, 2006, and claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/696,998, filed 5 Jul. 2005, by John H. McGinn and Vincent P. Morris. application Ser. No. 11/988,335 claims an assembly which comprises

(1) an elongate channel along a boundary of an area of ground, and

(2) a sediment control device (SCD) which comprises

-   -   (a) a substantially planar seat portion which fits into the         channel, and     -   (b) a substantially planar free portion which extends upwards         from the channel and which comprises         -   (i) an elongate threshold member,         -   (ii) an elongate outflow member, and         -   (iii)) an elongate filter member between the threshold and             outflow members,         -   the SCD having a total volume, and the threshold and outflow             members being secured so that any hollow space between the             threshold and outflow members is less than 30% of the total             volume of the SCD,         -   each of the threshold and outflow members having multiple             relatively large apertures therethrough,         -   the filter member having multiple relatively small apertures             therethrough, the relatively small apertures being smaller             than the relatively large apertures, and

the seat portion and the free portion being substantially coplanar.

This application is also related to U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,848,866 (McGinn) and 7,008144 (McGinn); U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 11/127,614 filed May 11, 2005, by John H. McGinn (publication number US-2006-0002773), now U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,787, and Ser. No. 11/333,825, filed Jan. 17, 2006, by John H. McGinn and Vince Morris; now U.S. Pat. No. 7,544,016. The entire disclosure of each of those patents and applications is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The patents and applications referenced above describe sediment control devices (SCDs) and their use to collect sediment from liquids in which the sediment is suspended.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a sediment control device (SCD) which is useful in the assemblies claimed in the parent application Ser. No. 11/988,335, and for other purposes, and which comprises, and optionally consists essentially of,

(1) a substantially planar elongate threshold member,

(2) a substantially planar elongate outflow member, and

(3) a substantially planar elongate filter member between the threshold and outflow members,

the threshold, outflow and filter members lying in parallel planes and being secured together so that there is substantially no hollow space between the threshold member and the outflow member, each of the threshold and outflow members being apertured sheet materials having multiple relatively large apertures therethrough, the apertures having an area of 0.01 to 1.0 in.², and the filter member having a mesh size (measured by ASTM E 11) of 80 to 600 micron.

The novel SCDs of the invention can optionally comprise

(a) a first substantially planar portion and

(b) a second substantially planar portion which is coplanar with the first portion, and which comprises at least part of the threshold member, at least part of the outflow member, and at least part of the filter member.

In one embodiment, the first portion consists of part of the threshold member and part of the outflow member; and the second portion consists of the remainder of the threshold member, the remainder of the threshold member and all of the filter member. In another embodiment, the first portion consists of part of the threshold member, part of the outflow member and part of the filter member; and the second portion consists of the remainder of the threshold member, the remainder of the outflow member and the remainder of the filter member. If an SCD having these first and second portions is used in an assembly as claimed in the application Ser. No. 11/988,335, the first portion is the seat portion which fits into the channel, and the second portion is the free portion which extends upwards from the channel.

In particular embodiments of the invention,

(a) the apertures in the elongate threshold member have an area of 0.02 to 0.25 in.² (13 to 160 mm²);

(b) the apertures in the outflow member have an area of 0.02 to 0.25 in.² (13 to 160 mm²);

(c) the area of the apertures in the outflow member are less than 0.45 times, e.g. 0.2 to 0.4 times, the area of the apertures in the threshold member; and

(d) the elongate filter has a mesh size (measured by ASTM E 11) of 100 to 500 micron.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the FIGURE is a diagrammatic sketch, not to scale, of an SCD of the invention which is being used in an assembly as claimed in application Ser. No. 11/988,335.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the Summary of the Invention above, the Detailed Description of the Invention, the Examples, and the claims below, and the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including for example components, ingredients, elements, devices, apparatus, systems, groups, ranges, method steps, test results, etc.) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect, a particular embodiment, a particular claim, or a particular Figure, that feature can also be used, to the extent appropriate, in the context of other particular aspects, embodiments, claims and Figures, and in the invention generally.

The invention disclosed and claimed herein includes embodiments not specifically described herein, and can for example make use of features which are not specifically described herein, but which provide functions which are the same, equivalent or similar to, features specifically disclosed herein.

The term “comprises” and grammatical equivalents thereof are used herein to mean that, in addition to the features specifically identified, other features are optionally present. For example, an SCD “comprising” (or “which comprises”) components A, B and C can contain only components A, B and C, or can contain not only components A, B and C but also one or more other components. The term “consisting essentially of” and grammatical equivalents thereof is used herein to mean that, in addition to the features specifically identified, other features may be present which do not materially alter the claimed invention. The term “at least” followed by a number is used herein to denote the start of a range beginning with that number (which may be a range having an upper limit or no upper limit, depending on the variable being defined). For example “at least 1” means 1 or more than 1, and “at least 80%” means 80% or more than 80%. The term “at most” followed by a number is used herein to denote the end of a range ending with that number (which may be a range having 1 or 0 as its lower limit, or a range having no lower limit, depending upon the variable being defined). For example, “at most 4” means 4 or less than 4, and “at most 40%” means 40% or less than 40%. When, in this specification, a range is given as “(a first number) to (a second number)” or “(a first number)-(a second number)”, this means a range whose lower limit is the first number and whose upper limit is the second number. For example, “from 8 to 20 carbon atoms” or “8-20 carbon atoms” means a range whose lower limit is 8 carbon atoms, and whose upper limit is 20 carbon atoms. The terms “plural”, “multiple”, “plurality” and “multiplicity” are used herein to denote two or more than two features.

Where reference is made herein to “a” or “an” feature, this includes the possibility that there are two or more such features (except where the context excludes to that possibility). Where reference is made herein to two or more features, this includes the possibility that the two or more features are replaced by a lesser number or greater number of features providing the same function (except where the context excludes that possibility). The numbers given herein should be construed with the latitude appropriate to their context and expression; for example, each number is subject to variation which depends on the accuracy with which it can be measured by methods conventionally used by those skilled in the art.

The term “sediment” is used herein to denote solid particulate material, e.g. soil, sand, decomposed granite or pebbles, which can become suspended, or which is suspended, in a flowing stream of liquid, and which will settle out of the liquid when the liquid ceases to flow. The term “sediment control device” (often abbreviated herein to SCD) is used herein to denote an article which can be transported and placed on top of a substrate, usually the ground, optionally with a part of the SCD being below the substrate, in order to collect sediment from a sediment-bearing stream of liquid, usually water, which passes through the SCD.

Where reference is made herein to apertured sheet materials, all the apertures in any particular sheet will generally be of the same size. If they are not, the aperture size referred to is the arithmetic average of the different sizes.

Except where the disclosure this specification is at variance with the disclosure in the patents and applications incorporated by reference herein, the disclosure in those patents and applications is also applicable, mutatis mutandis, to the present invention. For example, the threshold, outflow and filter members can be composed of the same materials as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,866 (in particular at column 4, line 37, to column 7, line 53). The SCDs can be manufactured as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,866 (in particular at column 10, lines 3-40); and two or more SCDs can be joined end-to-end or side-by-side by the methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,866 (in particular at column 9, line 27, to column 10, line 2).

Thus, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,866, the SCDs of this invention can optionally have one or more of the following characteristics.

1. Each of the threshold member and the outflow member, which can be the same or different, is composed of a multiplicity of polymeric strands.

2. The threshold member and the outflow member are made of the same sheet material, for example are different parts of a single piece of apertured polymeric material.

3. The parts of the SCD are constructed so that the SCD does not absorb substantial quantities of water. For example, it is preferred that the SCD, when subjected to a test which consists of

-   -   (i) completely immersing the SCD in water for 0.5 hour,     -   (ii) removing the SCD from the water,     -   (iii) placing the SCD on a horizontal apertured surface, and     -   (iv) leaving the SCD to drain for 0.5 hour in still air at 20°         C., has a weight after the test which is not more than 1.3         times, preferably not more than 1.1 times, its weight before the         test.

4. The SCD is constructed so that, in a test in which clean water is directed towards the SCD at right angles to the threshold member, the SCD is capable of passing at least 100, e.g. at least 200, gallons of water, but not more than 400 gallons of water, per square foot per minute of the frontal area of the threshold member (i.e. the area of the threshold member as viewed from the front. In such a test (and indeed likewise in practice) the structure of the SCD is generally such that the volumes of water entering and leaving any particular length of the SCD are substantially the same (e.g. do not differ by more than 20%, based on the volume of water entering the roll), since the SCD does not function as a pipe to direct liquid to the ends of the roll.

5. The dry weight of the SCD is such that it can readily be transported and placed in position manually. The weight may be for example 0.5 to 2.5, e.g. 0.65 to 1.8, lb/ft, with a total weight of for example 2 to 20 lb., preferably less than 10 lb.

The Drawings

Referring now to the drawings, the Figure shows an SCD containing threshold lo member 12, outflow member 11 and filter member 21. The SCD has a first (seat) portion which fits into channel 31 which has optionally been formed in the ground by pressing the SCD into the ground with a reciprocating motion, and a second (free) portion which extends upwards from the ground. 

1. A sediment control device (SCD) which comprises (1) a substantially planar elongate threshold member, (2) a substantially planar elongate outflow member, and (3) a substantially planar elongate filter member between the threshold and outflow members, the threshold, outflow and filter members lying in parallel planes and being secured together so that there is substantially no hollow space between the threshold member and the outflow member, each of the threshold and outflow members being apertured sheet materials having multiple relatively large apertures therethrough, the apertures having an area of 0.01 to 1.0 in.², and the filter member having a mesh size of 80 to 600 micron.
 2. A sediment control device according to claim 1 wherein each of the threshold member and the outflow member is composed of a multiplicity of polymeric strands.
 3. A sediment control device according to claim 1 wherein the apertures in the threshold member are the same size as the apertures in the outflow member.
 4. A sediment control device according to claim 3 wherein the threshold member and the outflow member are different parts of a single piece of apertured polymeric material.
 5. A sediment control device according to claim 1 wherein the apertures in the outflow member have a size which is less than 0.45 times the size of the apertures in the threshold member.
 6. A sediment control device according to claim 1 wherein the apertures in the threshold and outflow members have an area of 0.02 to 0.25 in.².
 7. A sediment control device according to claim 1 which comprises (a) a first substantially planar portion and (b) a second substantially planar portion which is coplanar with the first portion, and which comprises at least part of the threshold member, at least part of the outflow member, and at least part of the filter member.
 8. A sediment control device according to claim 7 wherein the first portion consists of part of the threshold member, part of the outflow member, and part of the filter member; and the second portion consists of the remainder of the threshold member, the remainder of the outflow member, and the remainder of the filter member.
 9. A sediment control device according to claim 7 wherein the first portion consists essentially of part of the threshold member and part of the outflow member; and the second portion consists of the remainder of the threshold member, the remainder of the outflow member, and all of the filter member.
 10. A sediment control device according to claim 1 which, when subjected to a test which consists of (i) completely immersing the SCD in water for 0.5 hour, (ii) removing the SCD from the water, (iii) placing the_SCD on a horizontal apertured surface, and (iv) leaving the SCD to drain for 0.5 hour in still air at 20° C., has a weight after the test which is not more than 1.1 times the weight of the SCD before the test.
 11. A sediment control device according to claim 1 which, when subjected to a test in which clean water is directed towards the SCD at right angles to the threshold member, is capable of passing 200-400 gallons of water per square foot per minute of the area of the threshold member, and the volumes of water entering and leaving any particular length of the SCD do not differ by more than 20%, based on the volume of water entering the particular length of the SCD.
 12. A sediment control device (SCD) which consists essentially of (1) a substantially planar elongate threshold member, (2) a substantially planar elongate outflow member, and (3) a substantially planar elongate filter member between the threshold and outflow members, the threshold, outflow and filter members lying in parallel planes and being secured together so that there is substantially no hollow space between the threshold member and the outflow member, each of the threshold and outflow members being composed of an apertured sheet material comprising a multiplicity of polymeric strands and having multiple relatively large apertures therethrough, the apertures having an area of 0.01 to 1.0 in.², and the filter member having a mesh size of 80 to 600 micron.
 13. A sediment control device according to claim 12 wherein the apertures in the threshold member are the same size as the apertures in the outflow member.
 14. A sediment control device according to claim 12 wherein the threshold member and the outflow member are different parts of a single piece of apertured sheet is material.
 15. A sediment control device according to claim 12 wherein the apertures in the outflow member have a size which is less than 0.45 times the size of the apertures in the threshold member.
 16. A sediment control device according to claim 12 wherein the apertures in the threshold and outflow members have an area of 0.02 to 0.25 in.².
 17. A sediment control device according to claim 12 which consists of (a) a first portion which consists of part of the threshold member, part of the outflow member, and part of the filter member, and (b) a second portion which is coplanar with the first portion and which consists of the remainder of the threshold member, the remainder of the outflow member, and the remainder of the filter member.
 18. A sediment control device according to claim 12 which consists of (a) a first portion which consists essentially of part of the threshold member and part of the outflow member; and (b) a second portion which consists of the remainder of the threshold member, the remainder of the outflow member, and all of the filter member.
 19. A sediment control device according to claim 12 which, when subjected to a test which consists of (i) completely immersing the SCD in water for 0.5 hour, (ii) removing the SCD from the water, (iii) placing the_SCD on a horizontal apertured surface, and (iv) leaving the SCD to drain for 0.5 hour in still air at 20° C., has a weight after the test which is not more than 1.1 times the weight of the SCD before the test.
 20. A sediment control device according to claim 12 which, when subjected to a test in which clean water is directed towards the SCD at right angles to the threshold member, is capable of passing 200-400 gallons of water per square foot per minute of the area of the threshold member, and the volumes of water entering and leaving any particular length of the SCD do not differ by more than 20%, based on the volume of water entering the particular length of the SCD. 